Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 3/64

On Sunday mornings I deliver 35-40 newspapers in my neighbourhood. These are morning papers, so I have to deliver them before 8 a.m. But Sunday, February 15, 1987, was an extremely cold morning. The temperature was 23 degree Celsius. There was also a chill wind, which made the temperature seem even worse. As usual, I started out with my load of newspapers in a shopping cart accompanied by my pet dog, Snowball. Snowball is fluffy, white Samoyed, an Arctic breed. But the weather was so cruel that I thought even my Arctic companion was not enjoying the walk. His breath was freezing on his whiskers and I had some fun breaking them off.
Very soon the fun ended as the cold began piercing through my padded coat and gloves. Since I was pushing the metal bar of the shopping cart, I felt more cold in my fingers and they began to hurt. Rather carelessly I had worn my thin gloves instead of the thick ones. I could have turned back and gone home for the second pair of gloves, but foolishly I did not and continued on my round.
I was about half way through my route when the pain in my fingers became unbearable. I feared my fingers could get frostbite. I thought of returning, but I would have had to walk the same distance back! Also, the papers had to be delivered before 8 a.m. and I was running out of time. I felt like crying. I wished my father or mother would drive by so that I could get a ride. I wished I had the other pair of gloves so that I could save my fingers. All the while, I was praying to Baba to somehow help me. But nothing seemed to work.
I realized that it was impossible to continue any further. Reluctantly, I decided to return home. I thought, I would deliver one last paper that was in my hand and then return home. I was about to walk up to a house to deliver that paper, when, lo and behold, barely a few feet from where I stood, I saw a pair of beautiful jet-black gloves! I jumped with joy!
Then I thought; if they had been lying there overnight they would be frozen stiff and could be useless. Anyway I picked them up. To my utter surprise, I found they were not frozen! In fact, they were as though they had just been dropped there! I wore them over my gloves and they fitted me perfectly!
I looked around to see whether there was anyone who could have accidentally dropped them there. But the street was deserted. The neighbourhood was still asleep on that cold Sunday morning. Who could have walked through there so early in the morning, I wondered. In any case, anyone accidentally dropping the gloves in that weather would at once miss them! It was so very cold!
I said, "Thank You Baba!” finished my paper route and returned home to get ready to attend my Bal Vikas class.
(In August 1986, I had accompanied my parents to Puttaparthi. On the third and final day of our visit, during the morning darshan Baba had come to where my mother and I were sitting, had materialized Vibhuti and put it in my mother's palm and on my forehead. Now I know what He meant when He gave me that Vibhuti! )

Prayers For Departed Souls

The Chinese festival 'Choong Yuan Ch'ieh' or Prayers for Departed Souls was held on August 26th, 2012 at NED centre, Penang.  We conducted bhajans, followed by Shiva prayers and Tibetan Buddhist mantras.  A sumptuous vegetarian meal was served after arathi.

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 3/63

My mother had a friend in Puttaparthi, who had come from Kerala. In spite of seeing so many miracles and mahimas of Swami, she was not convinced that Swami was God. She was doing the chores of preparing breakfast for Swami and arranging the food brought by others to be offered to Swami. She did her job well with sincerity. She was the wife of a high ranking official based in Madras (now Chennai). She had a son and a daughter. Her son went abroad and settled there. Her daughter was also married. She owned a big bungalow constructed on a huge site in Madras. Once in a while, Swami would stay in her house, during His visits to Madras.
Once, Swami had been to her house to attend the marriage of one of her relatives. The next day, Swami got up and told her to get ready to leave for Puttaparthi. She wanted a little time to get ready and so, she asked Swami to give her some time to attend to the urgent matters at home. Swami did not tell anything. He left for Puttaparthi without her. The next day, she came to Puttaparthi after finishing all her work at home. Swami ordered not to allow her into the Mandira. She waited with all her belongings under a tree in front of the Mandira. Swami neither looked at her, nor spoke to her. She waited for a long time and then, returned to Madras. After sometime, she again came to Puttaparthi. Swami told her, “When I ask you to leave immediately, you ask for time. Can you do the same, when yama calls you?” (Swami expects strict obedience from devotees.)
Shortly afterwards, to her luck, Swami took her along with other devotees on His tour of Badrinath, in 1961. In a place called Brahmakapala, Swami asked those people, who did not have children, to perform their own last rites (as is the practice there). Swami told her also to do it. She said that she had a son, who would perform her last rites. Swami forced her to do it by telling her that her son would never care to do such things; only He had to do it for her. As ordered by Swami, she performed those rites in Badrinath.
Some devotees asked Swami why they were not able to see the ṛiṣhis doing penance in Himalayas. Swami said, “The ṛishis still do penance here. But, if you people see them, would you leave them in peace? So, they are meditating after turning themselves into hima.”
She was interested in meditation and other spiritual sādhana right from her young age. She prayed to Swami to let her have darśhan of a ṛishi meditating in Badri. On the penultimate day of their stay in Badri, as usual, she went behind the temple and sat there for meditation. She was sad that Swami had not fulfilled her desire. She then found Swami standing next to her and asking her to follow Him. She followed Him for some distance. Swami pointed out and said, “Look there.” She could see a dilapidated hut with the door slightly open. She went closer to the hut and peeped inside. She could see a ṛishi sitting in samādhi. The ṛishi had very long hair, beard, and two slightly protruding teeth. The nails of his hands and legs had grown very long and they were buried in the earth. She saw this and was frightened. Swami said that he was sage Vasiṣṭha. After coming bac k to Puttaparthi, she narrated this incident to my mother.
After a few days, she fell ill. One day, she felt like garlanding Swami and doing pādanamaskāra. With great difficulty, she climbed up the stairs of the Mandir and went to Swami’s room. She garlanded Swami and as she bent down to take pādanamaskār, she felt giddy and vomited on Swami’s Feet. Swami held a vessel for her to vomit. He then told devotees to take her downstairs and make her sleep in her room. At 1 p.m., she breathed her last. This was, perhaps, the reason why Swami had forced her to perform her own last rites at Badrinath. Swami knows everything about everybody.

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 3/62

In 1917, Baba once called Abdul Baba, Nana Chandorkar, Mhalsapathi, Das Ganu and others and started asking each of them: "Do you know who you are?" Each of them replied: "I am your sishya (disciple)." Baba said: "Nonsense! Don't use that term any longer. I have no disciples in this world. I have countless devotees. You do not recognise the distinction between a disciple and a devotee. Anyone can be a devotee. But that is not the case with the disciple. A disciple is one who carries out implicitly the commands of the guru (the preceptor). The mark of the sishya is total devotion to the preceptor. Only the man who says, ‘I have none in the world other than the preceptor,' is a disciple. How far have you respected My injunctions? How are you entitled to claim that you are My disciples? Only the one who follows Me like My shadow can claim to be My disciple. The devotee is one who prays to the Lo rd wherever he may be. Hence, there is a big difference between a disciple and a devotee. The disciple and the preceptor are like two bodies with one spirit. The disciple should have no sense of separateness from the preceptor. He should feel, ‘I and you are one.' There are no such disciples to be found in the world. There are millions of devotees, but no disciples."
On hearing this, Shyam was in deep pain. He felt within himself: "Apart from serving at Your Feet, I have no other concern." Baba then went into another room and called Shyam inside. "In this entire world, for Me you are the only disciple. All others are only devotees." At that moment, Shyam fell at the Feet of Baba, and cried out, "You alone, You alone" (are my refuge) and breathed his last.
In all his life of over 82 years, Baba had never shed a tear in the presence of devotees. When Shyam passed away He shed three drops of tears. The devotees present there said: "Swami! Why do You feel so grieved? All are in Your hands." Baba replied: "Dear boys! I am not grieving at all. Almost all his sins had been wiped out already. By the three tear drops I shed, the remaining sins (of Shyam) have been washed away."
All that Baba said or did was for the good of the devotees alone.
Towards the end, Abdul Baba came to Baba. Baba told him: "I shall appear again and give you darshan." "When will that be?" asked Abdul. Baba told him: "It will be after eight years."
"The first advent of Sai was in Maharashtra. The second advent will be in Madras," Baba said. It should be noted that when this form (Sathya Sai) made its advent, Andhra Pradesh was part of Madras Presidency.

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 3/61

"Aaspathreelu, doctorlu, mandulu... emi akkara ledu” hospitals, doctors, medicines... no need for any of them. "Oka naadu, Nenu, tak tak tak! anni sari chesthanu." One day, tak, tak, tak. Like that, I shall set right everything.” Baba told me thus, snapping His fingers to produce the sound, tak... tak... tak, when He spoke. I was overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness; for, just imagine what He was promising to set right.
My wife was suffering since three years from acute osteomalacia, with pathological fractures of the pelvic bones. The doctors were sure about that; many experts had examined the patient with great care. They had told me that prolonged stay in bed and persistent treatment might be able to give some relief. They told me it was due to the absorption of the osseous substance of the bones, which causes, as in my wife's case, softening and rarefaction, followed by spontaneous fracture. She was emaciated and exhausted, the pelvic bones were affected much, becoming triradiated and weak. The spine was paining badly and the doctors said, she will be bed-ridden for years and her limbs will become shortened and useless. Opiates and drugs to dull the pain were the only medicines that could be given, besides various costly experimental palliatives.
What a terrible life for a poor middle class family with five children and the breadwinner holding a Government job, requiring frequent long journeys! I was hit very hard by this calamity. No one held out the slightest hope. Baba was my only refuge, some good friend said. I came to Puttaparthi. I was called in by Baba and this was what He said! Now, you know why she was so full of joy and thankfulness.
Well, I returned home to Besagarahalli, in Mandya District. Three months passed and there was no improvement in her physical condition; in fact, she became worse; my faith in Baba began wavering. My home was a cell of pain and grief. Without regular food and sleep, racked by pain and worry, my wife became a shadow of her former self. Baba's words were her only solace. She and I held on to them, in spite of all the whisperings of despair.
I awoke one morning rather early, because I had to leave for a distant village on Government work. I was surprised to find a lamp burning in the kitchen. When I asked, “Who is there?" it was my wife who replied. Yes; she had lit the fire and... would you believe it? She was preparing coffee for me!!
She said, she had a dream; or, was it a dream? Baba had come to her bedside and ordered her to get up, come down from the cot and do Namaskaram to Him! And, she had obeyed! While she was at His Feet, Baba, with many a consoling word, patted gently on the diseased joints... she could hear the sound the bones made inside her... Tak, Tak, Tak! She had become quite alright. "Anni sari chesthanu", He had said. He had kept His Word! When she looked up, after a while, with tears of gratitude in her eyes, the Lord had disappeared. To the great amazement of all of us, and the doctors who had shaken their heads whenever her recovery was mentioned, she has started from that very day her daily routine of work, as if nothing at all had happened to her.
The bone specialist who had studied the X-ray photographs of my wife was informed of this miraculous overnight cure. He declared, “During my five years of stay abroad, I could not see a single case of osteomalacia cured, among the several which I treated. It is beyond the ken of a human physician. God has blessed you!” Nothing is impossible for Baba. What He says happens.

Kuan Yin's Enlightenment Day

Goddess Kuan Yin's Enlightenment Day was celebrated on Monday evening, 8pm, on 6 August 2012. We conducted a bhajan and chanted Tibetan Buddhist Mantras.  Refreshments was served after arathi.

OM MANI PADME HUM

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 3/60

During my three years of stay as a student at the Anantapur Campus, i have always looked forward to going to Parthi. On one such trip during my 2nd year, i dozed off in the bus and got a dream in which i was standing outside the Lord Ganesha temple at Parthi.
Behind me, I saw Swami with an orange coloured bag, similar like the one of Santa Claus, from which He was taking out torches and distributing to devotees. All of a sudden He looked at me and asked,"Did you get it?" I replied “No.” Immediately Bhagawan took out a ‘burning’ last piece from the bag, small in size compared to the ones distributed, and gave it to me. i was quite unhappy with the size of the torch and said,"Swami, this is not fair; give me a bigger one." Then The Lord responded: “Torch bearers should not worry about the size of the torch but the mission for which they are carrying it."
I was still not satisfied and like a kid started to throw tantrums at Him! Suddenly He rose higher and higher like Lord Hanuman and spread His arms and said, “I gave you this much, still do you need anything?" I was amazed and dumbfounded by this reply! Then finally i got the answer that when we take we may take little but when God gives He gives in abundance! We don't need anything after that. He is indeed the bestower of all boons.